Generations
Background Story: There were ten generations from Noah to Abram. Because of the length of their lives, many theologians believe that Noah died sometime in the first 50 years of Abram’s life. Whether these two giants of faith met each other is unknown, but we see in scripture the promise and blessing of God passing through the generations.
Read Genesis 11:10-12:3
This is the account of Shem’s family line.
Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arphaxad. 11 And after he became the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters.
12 When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah. 13 And after he became the father of Shelah, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.
14 When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber. 15 And after he became the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.
16 When Eber had lived 34 years, he became the father of Peleg. 17 And after he became the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters.
18 When Peleg had lived 30 years, he became the father of Reu. 19 And after he became the father of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters.
20 When Reu had lived 32 years, he became the father of Serug. 21 And after he became the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters.
22 When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor. 23 And after he became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters.
24 When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah. 25 And after he became the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.
26 After Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.
27 This is the account of Terah’s family line.
Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. 28 While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth. 29 Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milkah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milkah and Iskah. 30 Now Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive.
31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there.
32 Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Harran.
12 The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. 3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”
Big Idea: Your decisions today affect generations to come.
Abram descended from the line of Shem, one of Noah’s sons. In Genesis 9-10, we see Noah had three sons- Shem, Ham, and Japheth. In chapter 9, Ham (also called Canaan) dishonors and sins against his father, but Shem protects Noah. At that moment, we read a small but significant prophecy in Genesis 9:26 with fulfillments seen in today’s passage. Noah says, “May the Lord, the God of Shem, be blessed, and may Canaan be his servant!” From this time on, we see the great story of these two lines of men extend through history. From Shem comes the line of Abram (called Abraham), the nation of Israel, King David, and Jesus (Matthew 1:1-16). From Ham comes a long list of enemies who reside in the promise land that Israel fights for generations to come (Genesis 10:6-20).
What’s the point and why do I bring up these historical facts? The choices we make today ripple for generations.
I’ve seen this true in my family. My grandfather didn’t grow up in a family of faith, and became a believer as an older adult. From that moment on, he was transformed! He became a seeker of God, a leader in his church, and a man who told everyone he met about Jesus. But his decision to follow Christ did not just transform him- it transformed the generations that followed. From him came his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren who have loved, served, and followed Jesus. From him came a legacy of faith.
The same is true for generational sin. From another line of my family, there has been the constant fight of addition. I’m not sure when this addition started, but it has also been passed through the generations.
What will be the legacy of your story? No matter who came before you, your decision to pursue Christ and follow Him will have a ripple effect for the generations that follow. The same is true with decisions to compromise. Our lives are not just about us, but ripple through eternity. And one day we will see this for ourselves as we join my grandfather and the multitudes of believers who came before us to worship God together for all eternity!
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Dig Deeper: 2 Timothy 1:3-7, Deuteronomy 6, Joshua 24:1-15, Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Proverbs 3:1-6, Psalm 145:1-7, Deuteronomy 32:1-9, Psalm 71:18, Luke 1:46-55, Ephesians 3:20-21, Revelation 5:8-14, Revelation 7:9-12
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Devotions4Teens Videos: Becoming More Like Jesus, The Gospel- 3 Minute Presentation, I Want to See, Sneaky Sin,
